Is it next year yet?
From mlb.com: Sammy Sosa, fifth on baseball's all-time home run list and the Rangers' leader in RBIs, will ride out the final two months of the season as a reserve outfielder and occasional pinch-hitter.
Sosa was OK with the decision. "They've got some young guys they want to look at," he said.
Which brings up to the Reds. When are they going to turn the page on the this year? Jeff Conine, who's probably going to retire, started the last two games at first base. Joey Votto, meanwhile, remains in the Triple-A. Victor Santos is in the bullpen, while Brad Salmon, Gary Majewski and Bill Bray are at Triple-A.
I have no idea if Votto, Majewski, Bray and Salmon are ready for the big leagues, and maybe the Reds baseball people are convinced they're not. But isn't now a good time to find out?
posted by John Fay at 12:07 PM
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Post a Comment*Mr. Fay, this most recent post smacks of common sense. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that the Reds front office will do nothing of the sort.
Well we have Dumatrait starting tonight, so we can see if there is another quality pitching talent from triple-A. Dumatrait was the guy Vern Ruhle had the most hope for; he was the one that Ruhle expected to be the best big-league pitcher. And as for Saturday, if Harang isn't ready, call up Cueto for a spot start, just to see where he is at. It's not like another loss would hurt, but if it comes out the other way, then we may have struck gold. And with Votto, he should've been called up a while ago, and if he was ready, we could have received some prospects at the deadline for Conine and Hatteberg.
The family will be coming down to Cincy to see the Reds for the 20th vacation in a row and hope to see the young guys brought up instead of watching the soon to be AARP members. I remember coming and seeing the debut of several players that eventually became the 1990 World Series winners and after watching this team over the last few years we need to see youth because that means there is always hope for next season.
Amen, John!
Here here. It's time to shelve this season somewhere with the most disappointing seasons of my personal Reds lifetime. The Reds have been dead for nearly the whole season, so please lets end the charade and bring up some young talent.
Rick Sweet stated a few days ago that Bray and Majewski were Major League ready. Of course last time, Majewski said he felt good enough to be brought up some three weeks before it finally happened.
John, you are absolutely correct. Now is the time to find out if some of these guys can play in the majors. If they can, the Reds are set for next year. If not, they'll know the problem areas to try and fix. The Reds can't go into next year with lame duck players this year.
Complete agreement, John. And with the listlessness of the team the last several games, it seems clear that an infusion of young energy is needed.
Bring on the youngsters!
John, I know where your going with this but there is no reason to be jealous of Jay Bruce's immence talent, if your middle name was f'in you'd hit a home run every 15 at bats too.
it's look like the club and clubhouse is in disarray with all this situation with trades, pitchers, Gonzales, etc. Not surprisingly Reds will end up losing as usual to any team. No spirit at all. I'm wondering why people still coming to the game.
that's because instead of being committed to the organization we have a GM who's committed to himself and trying to keep his job.
.... And that's all I have to say about that
Also, dont look now but jay bruce is absolutely raking in louisvlle, to the tune of .307/.381/.600/.981 with 5 homers in 75 at bats. not only is there no chance that he'll be sent back to chattanooga, he's on his way up to the big club this season. After the rosters expand, expect votto and bruce to suit up in cincinnati unis.
John- That's the same thought I had during the game last night- except for I also believe that Coutlangus and Stanton should either be sent down or designated to bring up Bray and Majewski, and if Guardado ever gets healthy send back down Coffey. I believe our best bullpen next year could be: Closer- Guardado, 8th- Weathers, 7th- Burton/Majewski, with Bray being situational and Salmon coming in while down with Santos or Gosling in long relief.
It is obvious that the organization (if you can call it that since the word itself implies that you be organized) has no path or plan. Are you planning to win today or are you planning to win in the future? What players have a future with the Reds? For the ones that do, what is the next step in their development? For those who don't, its time to move on.
This doesn't seem that hard to figure out, to me anyway. It would seem that with only 50 some games left, you would think that they would realize that this year is done and it's time to look to 2008. In doing so, it is time to let those who are not in the 2008 plans go. Either by trade or by release. Bring up the kids who are your future and see what they can do. Don't wait until September, do it now.
I guess after the Reds get swept by the lowly Nats and Pirates, the Reds brass will get a clue.
Does this sould about right to you, John?
Rumor around 100 Main Street this morning is that Krivsky actually called Votto up shortly after the All-Star break but, wanting to keep it the ultimate secret, Wayne forgot to tell anyone else.
By the way John, why does it take an eternity for comments to post on your blog? And why is the time all out of whack? Just curious...
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!
John the question I have is when the rosters expand to 40 on September 1 do the call ups then get their free agent and arbitration clocks started or is that a freebee for the parent club to take a look at players without increasing a player's arbitration eligibility a year or something.
Not that I like that as a reason not to call up Votto now, but I do understand the economics of small market baseball to see the reasoning behind waiting a month if that were to be the case that it is a free look without starting the clock.
Redbeard
i don't think there is a plan in place, and not sure there has been since 2000. it has been assumed by all in charge that having Jr. is all they would need and that they could field re-treads and has-beens around him...wrong, and we will pay until they decide to pay..increase the payroll next year and return reds baseball to where it should be
Here is what I was telling people in June:
The Reds should fire Narron (check), hire either Girardi or Brenly (nope), trade away the older veterans (nope), bring up all the young guys (nope) and let the new manager have half a year with them so a) he can see what they do and b) get to know them know instead of having to do it in spring training.
Meanwhile Krivsky hires a stop-gap manager, doesn't unload anyone, although I'm sure some guys will go in August, and leaves the next possible core set of Reds in the minors. What, do they expect to make a playoff push?
The ONLY thing I can think of is that Castellini put the kibosh on everything because Krivsky is gone as soon as the season ends and he wants the new GM to have pick of the new manager. If that is the case, why not make Krivsky hire someone now? The Reds organization is so dysfunctional!
The more I see of Wayne Krivsky, the more confused I become.
Dave / Delhi
I totally agree with you Mr. Fay. Jeff Conine, Scott Hatteberg, Todd Coffey, Mike Stanton and Adam Dunn should end up on the waiver wire. Trade them in a hurry! Plus after hearing the interview that Dunn was involved with on 7/31 with Jim Day on Reds Live, you can tell he wants out. Do the club and fans a favor and trade him away. And take what you can get for the rest. If all or some are traded they should bring Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, Homer Bailey (when healthy again) and Jorge Cantu up to the majors. Let Votto, Cantu, and experiment with Edwin at first for the remainder of the season. Next let Jeff Keppinger play third with a mixture of Freel, Cantu, and EE. Put Bruce in left and allow Cantu, Freel, and Hopper mix with the time at that position. Once Homer is back allow the rotation to be Harrang, Arroyo, Bailey, Livingstion, and Dumtrait/Elizardo "The Lizard". Then like you suggested get Bray, Majewski, and Salmon in the bullpen and hopefully Everyday Eddie in the bullpen. I mean lets face it if we are really going to attempt to contend in the next few years our young studs in the minors need to get up to the majors ASAP.
It feels a bit like the powers that be still (for some deranged reason) that there's still a chance for this year. But I can see their point: if we bring up the young guys, we might lose.
I think you need to bring Votto up and get him 100 at-bats. I would also give Bray and Dumatrait the rest of this season in the big leagues to see what they can do. Majewski is a lost cause. I could go either way on Salmon.
John, even if Santos is gone, do you think they will DFA Stanton to make room for someone else at some point this year? Or send Coffey back down?
Great point. I wonder how long it will take the powers that be to determine Jay Bruce is ready - 2010. BTW - Upton just got called up by Arizona. Also, with Homer in the minors and on the DL, has he now pushed is Arbitration year back?
John,
That presumes Krivsky feels that his job is safe for next year if the Reds continue to tank. If the Reds do not play well this second half -- now having lost 4 straight -- don't you think the odds are better than 50-50 that Krivsky will be fired, and a new GM and new manager will be hired for next year. If Krivsky believes that this might be true, then one can understand that he would likely play to win this year to the extent possible -- hence, no significant trades at the deadline. Agree or disagree?
Also, is Hamilton's injury real -- or is he not playing because he is upset that Narron was fired? Probably no way to know -- if the only diagnosis is a sprain/strain.
Great point. I am sure the powers that be will think that Jay Bruce won't be ready until 2010. Interesting that the Diamondbacks just called up Upton. With Homer's minor stint and DL, has he now pushed his arbitration year back?
I couldn't agree more. Please forward this to Wayne.
Majewski's been a disaster since day one. I cannot understand how he could still be on anyone's radar as far as being a part of the Reds future. Bray and Votto, definitely and they'll be up all year next year. But Majewski is done. We haven't had a pitching disaster as bad as him since...Scott Ruskin comes to mind. Or Jerry Reuss.
Sorry, it took so long to get your comments posted. i went an hour without getting any email. So I couldn't moderate them. I would prefer that you could post without me moderating, but I've been told that's against policy.
Sorry, it took so long to get your comments posted. i went an hour without getting any email. So I couldn't moderate them. I would prefer that you could post without me moderating, but I've been told that's against policy.
That is going to piss off Dunn's mom John.....
Against policy to not moderate? Someone forgot to tell C. Trent, Dustin Dow, and Josh K.
No worries, I'm just bored at my job, while you are probably actually DOING your job, so no problem.
Enough with this 'professional hitter' garbage that the media keeps spewing. Conine is well past his prime and cannot help any team as a starter. He is actually hindering the progress of the Reds. Physically, he brings nothing to the team. He's old, fat, slow, and lacks power. His fielding is sub-par as well. Bring up Votto and trade Conine for a hamburger value meal.
Conine's played well for the Reds. He is old, but he's not fat or slow for a first baseman. He's 7-for-19 as a pinch-hitter. He's hitting .295 with runners in scoring position. But the Reds have to play for the future. He's not part of it.
Is it 2010 yet? Is the question.
Next year's REDS will suck too. Especially if Stanton, Coffey, and Majewski persist in doing their major league pitcher imitations HERE.
Now I'm convinced. Krivsky and Castellini are the root of the Reds' inability to be competitive.
With Dunn's contract, is there any cash to secure a free agent big-time starter? Will they rehire Mac now that the Reds awful pitching has proven that Genghis Khan couldn't lead this team to a .500 or better record? Or will they spend big money on a new manager (I vote for Mac to stay, he's clearly better than Narron and clearly handicapped by the crap roster folks at WE'RE CLUELESS & FRIENDS), further reducing the available funds to acquire off-season pitching.
Krivsky could have tried Votto to see if he could duplicate the "Keppinger Effect" but we all know that there's no pitching IN SIGHT to do much more than improve the Reds by 10-15 wins next year, and that won't be enough to even break .500, let alone make the playoffs.
That, and we'll see mostly the same ineffective bullpen faces as we have over the past 18 months AGAIN in 2008.
So who cares if it's next year yet?
I'm holding out hope that by 2010, fans will run Krivsky and Castellini out of town.
Hey, lamebrains, it's only Aug. 2 and it takes a few days for players to clear waivers. And if a claim is put in, it's a 48-hour process.
And also, any player that has to be added to the 40-man roster has his service clock immediately punched, starting him toward free agency and arbitration. On Sept. 1, players can be called up without it counting toward their service time.
Plus, there's about 2 1/2 weeks left in the minor league season. If you bring up all these guys your clamoring for, it creates an organizational shift to fill the vacancies. Ya know, the Reds aren't sending Stanton, Conine, Hatteberg and whomever you're hating today to Louisville to fill out the season.
So instead of screaming about the idiot GM, maybe you should know how some of these processes work.
I'll add to Mr. Redlegs ... No free agent big-time starter is ever going to agree to pitch in Great American Small Park.
Good points John. This is getting ridiculous.
You people crack me up. A dozen teams are interested in Dunn but not at a price you expect them to pay. I don't know what Dunn's future is but his first several years are better than Griffey's. I'm comparing your insanity with Boston who let Babe Ruth get away. If you would all shed your emotional baggage you'd realize you're barking up the wrong tree. You will lose Dunn after this year if you don't stop because he's a free agent and because his numbers in his first seven years (5.something calculated time spent in the league) are better than Griffey's first seven years, strike outs aside. Griffey can't be traded, even aftert the season because of the hugh buyout and he's on the downside of his career. In effect, he's retired on the job. Make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Fine. Then shut up about the Reds contending because they won't with him. Just be warm and fuzzy. The right path to Redlegs future greatness is trading Griffey to Houston (or some other team like Atlanta or L.A. he can't refuse) for a major league starting pitcher with a similar contract. You figure out (there is one in Houston). He can't veto that trade. Again, I qualify my wishes with 50+ years watching this team through good times and bad times.
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